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(No Model.)

H. W. ALLEN.

FISH PLATE FASTENING.

' No. 393,320. Patented Nov. 20, 1888 III/l :4 virus; mm M U ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY W. ALLEN, F cuIcAoo, ILLINOIS, ASS'IGNOR OF ONE'HALF T0 JOHN R. BENDER,

OF SAME PLACE.

SPEGIPICATION fonning part of Letters Patent No. 393,320, dated November 20, 1888. Apnliczition ill ed him-ch 23, 18:8. Serial 110.2%,294. (No modchh .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. ALLEN, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish- Plates and Fastenings, of which the following is a specification. i v

The invention relates to fish-plates and fastenings for securing the joints of railroad-rails; and the objects of my improvements are to provide fish-plates adapted to be applied to the sides and bottom of the rail without any perforations and to be secured thereto by bolts extendiugunder the rail, and to provide a part through which the bolts pass adopted to catch over the lower edge of the plate, and having means for locking the not on the bolt.

The invention is illustrated in the accompaflying drawings, in which.-

Figure 1-is a cross-section of a. Frail, showzo=ing an end View of the fish-plates and the manner ofapplying'the bolt to secure the same to the rail. Fig. 2 showsa side elevation of Fig. 1, the fish-plate being applied to the joint botween rails. Fig. 3 is a fragment of a bottom view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the part through which the bolt passes. Fig. 5 is a fragment of a. cross-section of a rail, with an end view of the plate in modified form.

A designates the T-rail, and Athe fiShplatc, which is desigucdto be made of springstecl. These plates consist of a. list bottom plate, a, adapted to rest on the tie which comes under the joint and to project under the rail nearly to its center, and the curved plate a,which is 5 made as an int ral part of the flat platcaand curved so as to tover the base flange of the rail when the flat plate is-slid under it from the side. I The part a may be made so as to extend clear over the base-flange and up against the side of the roll, as shown in Fig. 1, or only part way over the base-flange, as shown in Fig: 5. When extended up against the sides of the rail, the construction oi the curved part should be such as to cause thcnpper edge, as at a", to strike the rail a little in"advance of the other portions, so that when drawn close up against the rail at the other "points the upper edges will he sprung out slightly, and thereby be caused to clamp the rail tightly at this point by the bringing of the other portions u p against the rail.

B designates the part through which the bolt 13 passes. This part has n slotted part, 2:, the upper surface, I), of which is adapted to fit on the under side of the plate a, and an upwardly- 5 5 projecting port, b, in which there is a groove,

b, adapted to fit over the outer edge of said platen. Through the center at a there is :1 hole adapted to receive the bolt, which hole is in line with the slot 0', so that the bolt will come .6c close up to or against the under side of the plate a, there being sufiicient fullness at c to give the necessary strength to prevent buckling when the bolt is tightly drawn. At the front is a groove, e, in which a. flat narrqw piece of sheet metal, e, provided with nhole for the 1 bolt to pros through, can bc placed,s0 as to come under the nut e on the end of the bolt, and when the. nut is screwed home the outer ends of the metal, e, are bent outward over it, so as to prevent its being turned or becoming loose, the part of e under the nut and in the groove being stopped thereby from turning and the part bentovcr the not keeping the hltr ter from turning. l 7 5 Two of the fish-plates A are applied at each joint, one upon each side of the rail, with a. bolt uuder'each end of the plate. Any common bolt of the required length may he used. The plates should not quite meet on the under 3 side of the rail, but sufficient space should he allowed to insure the full clamping effect of the bolts without bringing the edges of the plates snugly together under the rail.

I am aware of United States Patents to. Swett, No. 97,515, of June 30, 1868; to Loomis and Rhodes, No. 125,310, of April 2, 1872, and to Palmer, No. 182,448, of October 3, 1876; but my invention is not shown therein.

The part a of the fish-plate of my invention is set back from the outer edge of the part a, and said edge is thin, so that it may be secured to the tie by spikes the some as they mils are, without any holes, notches, or other formations at given points along the edge to adapt the 5 same to the spikes. The plate and part a in this form can be rolled out in long bars and cutoff in proper lengths ready for use without punching, drilling, or other process to adapt the same to the spikes.

The bolt parts Bshould be made in the form shown-that is, the slotted part I) should be KOO oxtem od porpondicnizir to tho part bizimi should have a, fullness at the junction 0', oppo Hire the groove b operating as a brace between (he slo'obeci part and the lower portion of said part1): and the hole cshoniri register with the 101311: she port I), as by this means tho head nml nut of the bolt. 2 are extended consider ably above the lower link; of said plates and made to bear directly or squarely against the edges of-said platos, the body of the bolt coming; against thei r bottomxide. By this construction the parts are made 11inch lighter than hen.- toforo and without; nmtorial diminution of strengtlowhioh afl'ords a grezit savi og- 01" metal.

Having thus described my inventiomwhab I ciaim,.ami desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The fish-plates consisting of the poris a and 1:, the iatber being set back from the outer edge of the former, as Shown, and the side pieces, r B, consisting of the slotted part; b and the part b,- inade integral, said part 5" being extended perpendicular to said part b and having a groove, b, on one side and a fniiriess at; US jmmbion s'siilii the part b on the side oppoaiixe to said grooves b a hole, c,which registers wizh the slot 0 of said mirth, and a groove, e, in its outer moo i1: combination winiu a, screw-b015, Bflnmi perforated sheeti mctai pieces e,adapi;oai to saizi groove e, as and for the purposospori- 1o tied.

HARRY W. ALLEN.

Witueoses:

J. R. BI-INDER, JNo. H. WHIPPLA 

